Improving his defence has been the turning point for new Black Caps batsman Henry Nicholls.
Nicholls is the only new cap in the Black Caps squad named for one-day series against Sri Lanka, with the pace duo Tim Southee and Trent Boult to be rested at times during the series.
The 24-year-old Nicholls an attacking middle order batsman, was the second highest run-scorer in last year's domestic one day competition and performed well for New Zealand A in their recent one dayers and unofficial test matches against Sri Lanka A.
New Black Caps batsman Henry Nicholls. Photo: Photosport
"The biggest shift for me has been the mental aspect and probably just growing up a bit more and playing more cricket," he said.
"Also understanding my game a bit and more and understanding what it takes to score runs more consistently.
"One of the keys has been having a defensive screen that you can really trust. Even in the one day game you need to be able to defend good balls but also score...so that's been the biggest difference for me having confidence in my defence but then let my attacking come through at the right time."
